Belal Muhammad says he's close to UFC double-champion status, needing just two more wins: "I've already beat so many top contenders"
Belal Muhammad was able to capture the welterweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 304 last month. 'Remember the Name' recently claimed that he believes he is just two wins away from receiving the opportunity to pursue double champ status.
Speaking to Grind City Media, the welterweight champion stated:
"I've already beat so many top contenders. You could say Shavkat [Rakhmonov] is next but is he truly deserving to be next? Is [Kamaru] Usman truly deserving to be next? Like, there's not really a clear No. 1 contender if you're really thinking about it. When Leon won, I was the clear No. 1 contender. I beat this guy, this guy, this guy. He's like, alright, well he beat [Stephen] 'Wonderboy' [Thompson] and I beat like four guys after 'Wonderboy'."
Muhammad continued:
"There's not really that guy where you're like, 'oh, he beat a No.1 contender'. None of these guys beat a No.1 contender like I beat a No.1 contender. When I beat [Vicente] Luque, he was on a seven-fight winning streak. When I beat Gilbert Burns, he was on a two-fight winning streak. He was the No. 1 contender. He was right there. Sean Brady was 15-0 when I beat him. All these guys had big wins, huge wins, but it tells me I got like maybe two fights and then I can start talking about double champ status because I already beat all these guys in the top-ten."
Check out Belal Muhammad's comments on receiving a shot at becoming a double champ below:
Muhammad has beaten four fighters in the top 10 and a fifth fighter in the top 15. Despite the five victories over ranked opponents, Edwards is his only victory against an opponent that is currently ranked in the top five. Furthermore, aside from Kamaru Usman and Shavkat Rakhmonov - who he mentioned - several contenders are not far from a title shot.
Belal Muhammad calls Colby Covington a joke
Colby Covington was quick to begin taking shots at Belal Muhammad after he became the welterweight champion. 'Remember the Name' responded to 'Chaos' in an interview with Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie, stating:
"He's a joke. Literally everything he says is a joke. What is he, 0-3 in title fights? All I needed was one time to do it. You'll never touch the gold. You'll never be who I am. Just keep talking, bro. You said keep that same energy when I see you? Please, I beg you, let me see you. I beg you, let me see you in public. Unless he actually fights these other guys, he's not going to get another shot."
Check out Belal Muhammad's comments on Colby Covington below:
Muhammad added that he hopes Covington can work his way back into the title picture so they can clash in the cage. He noted, however, that the No. 4-ranked welterweight can find him at a steakhouse, referencing the latter's 2022 incident with Jorge Masvidal.